Design and Technology is a practical and valuable subject. It enables all pupils to actively contribute to the creativity, culture and well-being of themselves, their community and wider society. It teaches students how to take risks and so become more resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable.
Our intention is to inspire our pupils with a love for all things CREATIVE whilst studying Food and Nutrition, Graphics, Product Design and Textiles at KS3 to allow them to become confident individuals with inquisitive minds who will have the courage, skills and knowledge to thrive in the 21st century through stimulating projects and practical sessions.
Through the delivery of our Design Technology curriculum pupils are better prepared to deal with tomorrow’s ever-changing world. It encourages pupils to become independent, creative problem-solvers and thinkers as individuals and as part of a team – making positive changes to their quality of life. It enables them to identify needs and opportunities and to respond to them by developing a range of ideas, systems and by making products.
We wish to instil a curiosity within our pupils which means they will ask questions and seek answers when creating new ideas, acquiring new skills and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. We challenge pupils with engaging design briefs and instil a sense of curiosity within them by enabling pupils to create work of their own inspired by well-known designers, chefs, architects or engineers.
We focus on developing our pupils’ sense of appreciation for the design/creative industry supports them in finding their own identity as young designers/chefs/technologists, enabling them to develop a greater sense of self- awareness and affirming their own ideologies or perception of what design and creativity really is.
Design and Technology offers pupils a chance to use creative thinking and activity within a defined purpose and tangible outcome. It can be found in many of the object’s pupils use each day and is a part of children’s immediate experiences.
At KS4 pupils can follow the GCSE Food and Nutrition, Graphics, Product Design or Textiles syllabus. Work becomes increasingly more personal as pupils are encouraged to choose their own themes, sources, techniques and materials to respond appropriately to the world around them. Opportunities to experience the work of other designers and specialists in their chosen area of study are gained through trips and workshops enriching the curriculum and encouraging pupils to engage with the subject independently.
This considered, sequential five-year programme of study enables students to create quality products as well as giving them the practical skills to aid them in everyday life.
At KS4, pupils are provided with further opportunities to develop these vital skills. This opens the door to an exciting and almost endless range of career paths and further education at KS5 and beyond.
As Designers, chefs and technologists, we do not just stop at our curiosity of how things work but instead look at how we can think creatively to problem solve and make products even better!